Adjustable elastic waist for trousers and other garments



P. LAMPKOWiTZ June 12, 1956 ADJUSTABLE ELASTIC WAIST FOR TROUSERS AND OTHER GARMENTS Filed Feb. 12, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 INVENTOR.

PAUL LAMPKOWITZ 16 BY 6;? g s AfMR/VE) June 12, 1956 Filed Feb. 12, 1954 ADJUSTABLE ELASTIC WAIST FOR TROUSERS AND OTHER GARMENTS zz Z8 Z6 P. LAMPKOWITZ 2 sheets-sheet 2 mmvnm PAUL LAMPKOWITZ United States Fatent ADJUSTABLE ELASTIC WAIST FOR TROUSERS AND OTHER GARMENTS Paul Lampkowitz, New York, N. Y.

Application February 12, 1954, Serial No. 409,963

1 Claim. (Cl. 2-237) This invention relates to wearing apparel, such as trousers, skirts, etc., having incorporated therein an adjustable waist.

Adjustable waistbands and waists for trousers and other garments are not, per se, broadly new. However, disadvantages have been noted in connection with prior devices which have been provided with this feature. For example, in some instances the wearing apparel, when being worn and being fitted snugly about the waist, does not present a neat, attractive appearance. In other cases, the garment is so designed as to be excessively complicated, thereby increasing the cost of manufacture thereof. In still other instances, it is necessary to open the garment at the waist when the garment is being put on or is being taken off. All of these have been noted as deficiencies existing in connection with garments of this type which have previously been devised, and accordingly, it is the broad object of the present invention to provide a generally improved garment of the adjustable waistband type, which will have none of the disadvantages hereinbefore noted.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide, in a garment of the type referred to, adjustment means located at the upper ends of the creases of the trousers, which adjustment means, when the trousers are being worn, is adapted to define pleats at the upper ends of the trouser creases.

Another object of importance is to provide a garment of the nature referred to which will include an internally disposed, invisible elastic belt, which belt will cause the garment to be fitted snugly about the waist, but which will not be seen when the garment is being worn.

A further object of importance is to provide, in wearing apparel having an adjustable waist, a construction which will insure comfortable fitting of the garment about the wearers waist.

Yet another object is to provide an adjustable garment such as a trousers or skirt wherein the elastic, interiorly located belt will be readily adjustable as to size to fit the wearer, while at the same time being permanently secured to the garment.

Yet another object is to so secure the interiorly disposed belt, and so dispose the size-adjusting means thereof, as to cause adjustment of the belt as to size to automatically effect adjustment of the waist size of the garment to a corresponding extent.

A further object of importance is to provide for said automatic adjustment of the waist size of the garment without detracting from the appearance of the garment or the comfort and snugness of its fit to the person of the wearer.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a pair of trousers formed in accordance with the present invention, as they appear when being worn, parts being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, the waistband of the trousers being expanded to permit the trousers to be put on or taken oif.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, the dotted lines showing the open position of one of the pleats.

Fig. 4 is a greatly enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of the front portion of the trousers, showing the fly construction.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the trousers showing one of the tabs whereby the pleats are closed when the trousers are being worn.

Fig. 6 is a greatly enlarged sectional view taken substantially on line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

The reference numeral 10 has been applied generally in the drawings to a pair of trousers, said trousers being shown in the drawings as illustrative of the invention. It will be understood, in this regard, that it is not critical to the invention that it be embodied in a pair of trousers. The novel structure constituting the present invention could, as well, be incorporated in a skirt or other garment fitted about the waist.

In any event, in the illustrated example the trousers 10 are provided, medially between the opposite sides and at the front thereof, with a vertically extending fly opening 12, said opening being normally closed by a slide fastener 14. It is important to note, in this regard, as shown in both Figs. 1 and 4-, that the fly opening ter- I minates at its upper end a substantial distance below the upper edge of the garment, as distinguished from conventional trousers, wherein the fly openings extends fully to said upper edge, and is open whenever the trousers are to be put on or taken off.

In the illustrated example, that portion of the trousers above the upper end of the fly opening 12 constituting the waist portion is permanently closed and is provided with a seam 18 stitched closed during the manufacture of the garment, and remaining closed throughout the life of the garment. The seamlS, at the location of the upper end of the fly opening 12, merges into a cover flap 16, which overlies and fully conceals the slide fastener 14, as shown in Fig. 2.

It is, in this connection, a salient feature of the invention that the trousers, when being put on or taken off, need not be open at the fly, as is necessary with conventional trousers. Instead, the trousers appear as in Fig. 2 when being put on or taken off, and as will be noted from this figure of the drawings, the fly opening is not opened at all, thus facilitating the operation.

Permanently secured to the upper portion of the trousers 10, in closely spaced relation to the upper edge of the trousers, is a belt or waistband 29 or" elastic material. A suitable length of said material is extended throughout the full circumference of the garment during the manufacture of the garment, the ends 22 of said length of material being overlapped as shown in Figs. l-3, and being stitched to the back portion of the garment by transversely extending, longitudinally spaced rows of stitching 24.

At this point, it should be noted that in the several figures of the drawings no trousers lining is illustrated, since the showing of said lining would merely tend to confuse the illustration of the invention. However, a conventional trousers lining would, of course, be incorporated in the garment, the belt 20 being stitched over said lining.

The belt 20 is not only secured permanently to the garment by the rows of stitching 24, but is also secured at spaced locations about the circumference of the garment by other transversely extending rows of stitching 2d, 2%, 3t), 32 and 34. Thus, in closely spaced relation to the overlapped ends 22, transversely extending rows of stitching 26 are applied through the belt and the back of the trousers. Then, between the sides of the trousers and the stitching 26, stitching 28 is applied. At the opposite sides of the garment, stitching 30 is applied. At the location of the front seam 18, stitching 31 is applied to secure the belt permanently to the garment, and adjacent said stitching 31, stitching 32 is applied. Between stitching 32 and stitching 30, another transversely extending row of stitching 34 is incorporated in the garment. By reason of this arrangement, it will be seen that the belt is effectively and permanently secured to the garment at a substantial number of locations circumferentially of the garment, along the length of the belt. As a result, the belt will be permitted to expand longitudinally at all locations between the several rows of stitching, but the particular placement of said stitching is such as to prevent the garment from being stretched unduly tight at some locations while being left unduly slack at other locations. In other words, uniform expansion of the belt is assured, together with the garment, thus causing the belt to be properly located at all times within the garment, and causing, also, the garment to be fitted snugly about the waist of the wearer when being worn.

Between the stitching 30, 34, adjacent the opposite sides of the belt, the belt is provided with buckles 36, said buckles being of the type that permit adjustment of the length of the belt. Thus, it will be observed that adjustment of the belt as to length is restricted to those portions of the belt that are disposed between the side rows of stitching 30, and to those rows of stitching, designated at 34, provided at the front of the garment and located nearest to the side rows 30.

The rows of stitching 32, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6, not only serve to secure the belt or waistband to the front portion of the garment, but also serve to secure buttons 38 to the garment, the buttons 38 being disposed at opposite sides of the front middle seam 18.

Adjacent the buttons 38, the garment is provided with cloth tabs 40, the particular construction of which is shown to advantage in Fig. 5. The tabs 40, immediately between their opposite ends, extend transversely across the front creases 42 of the garment, said front creases 42 having upper portions 44 over which the tabs are transversely disposed. Stitching 46 is extended for the full length of the garment, at the front thereof, to permanently form the creases in the garment, the stitching passing across the midlength portion of the tab 40 to cooperate with other stitching 48 in securing the tab to the garment.

The tabs 40 can be formed many of various manners, the construction shown in Fig. 5 being one example of how the tabs can be formed and applied to the garment. As shown in Fig. 5, a length of material is folded upon itself medially between its ends, the bight portion 50 of the folded length being turned over and stitched as shown in Fig. 5. This defines a buttonhole 52 adjacent the bight 50, said buttonhole 52 being provided in that portion of the tab projecting outwardly beyond the crease portion 44. Stitching 48 is applied to the end portions of the folded length, said stitching 48 extending longitudinally of said end portions for the purpose of securing the same to the garment body.

The waistportion of the garment is provided with a fullness and before the garment is put on, it will appear as in Fig. 2, and at this time, the tabs 40 are disconnected from buttons 38. As a result, the pleats at the upper ends of the trousers will be opened, and the upper crease portions 44 will diverge in an upward direction, providing V-shaped portions and adjacent inverted V-shaped portions. The sides of the garment at its waist is thus increased measurably, and one can step into the garment without opening the garment at the fly or at any other 10- cation. The elastic belt, of course, will expand as necessary to permit the garment to be taken off or put on.

When the garment has been put on, the tabs 40 are pulled toward the front middle seam 18 of the garment, and as a result, the garment will be folded upon itself as at 54, the folds 54 being concealed when the garment is worn and being adapted to define pleats at the upper ends of the front creases.

By reason of this arrangement, the garment will be fitted snugly to the waist of the wearer, it being understood that the belt 20 will have previously been adjusted so as to engage comfortably but snugly about the wearers waist when the belt is permitted to contract about the waist.

If it is desired to increase the size of the garment, the buckles 36 are opened, for the purpose of increasing the overall length of the belt or waistband 20. When the band 20 has been adjusted to the desired new size, the size of the garment at its waist, when the garment is being worn, will be automatically adjusted correspondingly. In other words, if, for example, the belt size is increased, the length of the belt in its normal or contracted condition will be increased, over that part of the belt length disposed between stitching 30 and stitching 34 at each side of the garment. The belt will not be increased in length at any other location, as will be readily perceived.

If, then, the garment is put on, and the belt is permitted to contract about the Waist of the wearer, the contracted belt will be longer, in the space between stitching 34, 30. Since this is so, that portion of the garment disposed between stitehing 34 and stitching 30, that is, that portion of the garment in which the fold 54 is formed when the garment is being worn, will automatically increase in size correspondingly to the increase in the belt size at this particular location. Therefore, the folds 54 will automatically form themselves to a smaller size.

Of course,'if the belt is adjusted to make the same smaller, the folds 54 will become larger, again automatically.

In all cases, of course, regardless of the size to which the belt is adjusted, the garment will be fitted comfortably but snugly about the wearers waist.

When the garment is to be taken oil. it is merely necessary to disengage one or both of the tabs 40 from their associated buttons 38, after which the garment can be readily removed, with a minimum of difficulty.

Apart from the ease of putting on the garment or taking it off, the wearing apparel constituting the present invention has certain other important advantages. For example, it is unnecessary to wear suspenders or an ordinary belt with the garment, the garment being held prop erly in position about the waist through the medium of a comparatively inexpensive, wholly invisible elastic band. Further, the use of a readily distendable band of the type shown adds to the comfort of the garment when the same is being worn, since a band of this type does not pinch the wearer's waist as much as would, for example, the conventional leather belt.

Further, the garment has a neat appearance when being worn, since there are no visible pinch pleats or other devices for taking up the garment at the waist. Instead, the viewer sees only what appear to be normal pleats at the upper ends of the creases, these being the only evidence of adjustment of the garment as to the waist size thereof.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent 1s:

A pair of trousers comprising a permanently closed continuous waistportion and a pair of legs, said legs each 5 having a front crease therein extending from the bottom of the leg to a point near said waistportion, said waistportion being provided with a foldable fullness at its front constituting adjacent V-shaped and inverted V-shaped portions extending downwardly to the front creases when unfolded, slotted tabs secured at one end to the surfaces of said V-shaped portions adjacent their apex ends and adjacent the top ends thereof, a plurality of fastener elements on said waistportion adapted to detachably fasten the tabs when the V-shaped and inverted V-shaped portions are in overlapped relation, a fiy front terminating at its top end beneath the upper extremity of the waistportion, and an adjustable elastic belt secured to the interior of the waistportion, said belt being fastened to the material of the waistportion by transverse rows of stitching at the rear, and side portions thereof and at the front adjacent the apex ends of the inverted V-shaped portions thereof when said portions are in unfolded condition and being unattached between said apex ends and the side portions of the waistportion, and adjusting buckles on the belt at opposite sides thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

